Active material actuators, such as shape memory alloy wires, are generally protected from mechanical overload by the use of mechanical springs or electrical-control schemes to avoid damage to the actuators when the output load exceeds a recommended limit. Both of these measures, however, may present various concerns in the art. For example, linear mechanical springs needed for overload protection tend to be bulky because of the conflicting requirements of high force threshold for the overload function necessary to enable normal operation, and low stiffness to restrict the maximum stress experienced by the actuator when the overload protection system is activated. Meanwhile, more versatile electrical/control schemes that rely on timing and/or feedback have been developed; but they may in some instances present concerns of their own, such as increased system costs.